Drum beater



ct. 25, 1949. W- D, GLADSTQNE 2,485,824

' NNNNNN OR WILLAM D. GLADSTONE ma H' ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1949, w. D. GLADSTONE DRUM BEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 8, 194g,`

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INVENTR g/YILLIAM D. GLADSTONE ATTORNEY- I Patented Oct. 25, 1949 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE DRUM BEATER.

William D. Gladstone, New York, N. Y.

Application May 8, 1946, Serial No. 668,069

6 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to musical instru-ments, and more particularly to wire brushes, sometimes referred to as jazz drum switches.

The wire brush is used with the drum or cymbal to obtain patter and swish-like sound effects. It usually comprises a tubular handle having at one end `a plurality of thin gauge steel wires which spread out in the manner `of a fan `and are fasti-:nedy to a clip or lug seated Within and slidablealong the length ofthe handle. In the conventional wire brush, there is provided ya metal rod which isiixedly connected at one end to the lug in :the interior of the handle in order to adjust t-he spread ofthe wires. The other end of the rod terminates in a loop 0r a ball located outside the handle to enable the rod to be easily grasped by the hand and moved along the longitudinal axis of the handle, thereby permitting adjustment of the eiective length and the spread of the wires.

One diiliculty experiencedl with known types of wire `brushes is` that the length of the rod which protrudes from the handle changes during use for 'different adjustments of` the wires, thus interfering with the balance or feel of the instrument in the hand `of the user.

Another difficulty is caused by `undesired changes in adjustment of the wires during usage, due to inadvertentmovement of the rod.

The-wire brush of :the present invention `overcomes the foregoing diiculties and has `the additional advantage, among others, of eliminating the needfof a rod for adjusting the effective length and spread of the wires.

According to the invention, the wires extend throughout the entire length of the tubular handle and can be pulled out from either end. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention I provide apertures of 'diierent sizes yat both ends of thehandle, either by the use of different size holes `or by a variation in taper of the end construction of the handle, and thus am able to obtain different spreads of the wires from both ends of-v the'wire brush. In accordance with another embodiment, the apertures at both ends of the-handleare of the same size, but I obtain different spreads of the wires by the use of slidable rubber sleeves at `one or both ends of the handle.

A detailed description vof the wire brush of the invention follows, in conjunction with :a drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a View of the wire brush of the invention, partly in perspective'and partly in section, with certain parts broken away to more clearly-illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a side or edge'view `of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the right hand end of the wire brush of the invention .and illustrates the large aperture;

Fig. 4 is a view of the left hand end of the wire 2 brush of the invention and illustrates the smaller aperture;

Fig. 5 is a view of only the right hand portion of the wire brush of Fig. 1 with the wires pulled out of this end, ready for use;

Fig. 6 is a view of only the left hand'portion of the wire brush of Fig. l with the wires pulled out of this end, ready for use;

Fig. '7 illustrates a modied form of wire brush of the invention; and

Fig. 8 illustrates an end View of ithe brush of Fig. '7.

Throughout the gures of the drawing like parts are designated by like reference numerals.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, there is shown a wire brush or jazz drum switch comprising a tubular handle I0, preferably though not necessarily of circular cross-section; and a plurality of fine quality, thin gauge, rust-proof piano Steel wires I I extending out from both ends of the brush, as seen in Fig. l. This particular gure illustrates the brush when not being used.

Handle Ill may be made of metal, plastic, hard rubber or other suitable material. The wires II are clamped together at a point within the interior of the handle, preferably `at the center in the showing of Fig. 1, by a metallic lug or clip I2 which is crimped at II to Securely fasten the clip to the wires.

It is preferred that each of the wires II be `a single continuous piece, although, if desired, the wires maybe made in two pieces held :together 'by the clip I2.

The lug or clip I2 is slidable along the interi-or of the handle I0 in response to either a pulling or pushing pressure on the wires in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the handle.

The tubular handle is tapered, rounded, or squeezed at both ends 25 in a manner shown clearly in the side or edge view of Fig. 2. This tapering or squeezing or the ends prevents the lug or clip I2 from leaving the interior lof the handle I0.

The ends 25 of the handle I0 are provided with different sized apertures I3 and I4 to enable the wiresv Il to have different spreads when pulled out from these ends. Aperture I3 is shown as larger than aperture I4. Thus, when the Wires I-I are grasped by the fingers of ithe user and pulled out from the right hand large aperture I3 as far as they will go, which will be when the lug I2 engages the reduced end 25 of the handle near I3, they will have a relatively wide spread as shown in Fig. 5. In this position (Fig. 5) the wires at the other end -at I4 will be drawn into the handle (concealed) and will not protrude from the aperture I4. When the wires are grasped by the user and pulled or pushed out of the left hand small aperture I4' as f-ar as they will go, which will be when the lug I2 engages the re- 3 duced end 25 of the handle near I4, they 4will have a narrower spread as shown in Fig. 6. In this position (Fig. 6) -the wires at the other end at aperture I3 will be drawn into the handle and will not protrude from the aperture I3.

Obviously, a greater Spread of Wires means less bunching `and less Weight `of the Wires, Whereas a narrower spread means more bunching and a greater weight which can be effective on the drum or cymbal.

In order to change the wires I I from the position of Fig. 5 to Fig. 6, or vice-Versa, the wires are grasped by the user and pushed back into the handle I0 until they protrude from the other end and then they may be pulled out from the other end.

The handle I0 may be grooved to provide a good gripping surface for the fingers of the musician, or may be covered with a grooved rubber sleeve for this purpose, as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8.

In order to distinguish the different ends of the Wire brush in semi-darkness, the handle I0 or its covering may have different colors at the different ends. Thus, one half of the handle or its adjacent end may be colored red while the other half may be colored white or silver, for example, or one end colored white and the other end left unpainted. By making the handle I0 from molded plastic material I am able to provide a very attractive instrument in different colors.

By Way of illustration and not by limitation the handle I0 may be about 7 inches long and the Wires may protrude about one inch from both ends in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 shows another embodiment of a wire brush of the invention, wherein the handle I0 is provided with equal sized apertures I1 and I8 at both ends. In order to obtain different spreads of the wires, there are provided llexible rubber and relatively small-length sleeves 2l near both ends of the handle. These rubber sleeves may be slid over the apertures I'I and I8 to any desired extent in order to restrict the spread of the wires I I. Since the sleeves are made of flexible rubber, that end portion of the sleeve 2| which is slid or pushed over the aperture I'I or I8 will constrict the spread of the wires II. A portion of the sleeve 2l should remain on the handle I0 when the sleeve is manipulated to restrict the spread of the wires. be used. It -should be noted that a rubber tubular sleeve 20 is shown surrounding the major portion of handle IIJ. This element 20 provides a good gripping surface for the fingers of the user, but may be eliminated, if desired. Fig. 8 illustrates an end view of the brush of Fig. '7.

I claim:

1. A musical instrument comprising a Wire brush having a tubular handle, a, plurality of Wires in the interior of said handle and having an overall length greater than the length of said handle, and a clip securely fastened to said wires at a point intermediate the end of said wires and located in the interior of said handle, said handle having apertures at both ends for enabling said wires to extend from either end of the handle, and means at both ends of the handle for restricting the spread of said wires from the respective ends.

2. A musical instrument comprising a wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of wires in the interior of said handle and having an overall length greater than the length of said handle, and a clip securely fastened to said wires If desired, only one sleeve 2| may y Cil at a point intermediate the end of said Wires and located in the interior of said handle, said handle having apertures at both ends for enabling said wires to extend from either end of the handle, said apertures being of different size to enable said Wires to have relatively different spreads when pulled outJ from said ends through said apertures.

3. A musical instrument comprising a wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of wires in the interior of said handle and having an overall length greater than the length of said handle, and a clip securely fastened to said wires at a point intermediate the end of said wires and located in the interior of said handle, said handle having apertures at both ends for enabling said Wires to extend from either end of the handle, the end portion-s of said tubular handle being of reduced dimensions compared to the intermediate portion to prevent egress of said clip through said ends.

4. An instrument in accordance with claim 1, characterized in this that a flexible sleeve is provided around and frictionally engages said handle near one end for enabling it to be slid over the end of the handle to restrict the spread of the wires, said flexible sleeve by virtue of the friction between it and the handle being capable of being positioned at any point in its length on said handle to thereby provide a multiplicity of adjustments for said Wires.

5. A musical instrument comprising a Wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of wires in the interior of said handle and having an overall length greater than the length of said handle, and a clip securely fastened to said Wires at a point intermediate the end of said wires and located in the interior of said handle, said handle having apertures at both ends for enabling said wires to extend from either end of the handle, said apertures being of different size to enable said wires to have relatively different spreads when pulled out from said ends through said apertures, the end portions of said tubular handle being of reduced dimensions compared to the intermediate portion to prevent egress of said clip through said apertures.

6. A wire brush comprising a straight tubular handle of circular cross-section, a plurality of wires in the interior of said handle and having an overall length greater than the length of said handle, and a clip securely fastened to said wires at a point intermediate the ends of said wires and located in the interior of said handle, said handle having apertures at both ends for enabling said Wires to extend from either end of the handle, said apertures being of different size to enable said wires to have relatively different spreads when pulled out from said ends through said apertures.

WILLIAM D. GLADSTONE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,322,641 Stanley Nov. 25, 1919 1,744,483 Meyer Jan. 2l, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 270,211 Great Britain May 5, 1927 

